Current:Home > FinanceModel's ex-husband and in-laws charged after Hong Kong police find her body parts in refrigerator -MoneyStream
Model's ex-husband and in-laws charged after Hong Kong police find her body parts in refrigerator
View
Date:2025-04-13 15:31:45
The ex-husband and former in-laws of a slain Hong Kong model were put in custody without bail Monday on a joint murder charge, after police found parts of her body in a refrigerator. Ex-husband Alex Kwong, his father Kwong Kau and his brother Anthony Kwong were charged with murdering model Abby Choi. Kwong was arrested as he was attempting to flee the city by boat, officials said.
His mother, Jenny Li, faces one count of perverting the course of justice. The four were placed in custody without bail.
Choi, 28, was a model with more than 115,000 followers on Instagram. Her last post was Feb. 19, featuring a photoshoot she had done with fashion magazine L'Officiel Monaco.
View this post on InstagramA post shared by Abby Choi (@xxabbyc)
"From Hong Kong to the cover of L'Officiel Monaco, my journey as a style icon continues," she wrote. "Grateful for this recognition and the continued support along the way."
Choi went missing Feb. 21, according to a report filed later with the Hong Kong Police.
On Friday, police found her dismembered body in a refrigerator in a house rented by Kwong Kau in Lung Mei Tsuen, a suburban part of Hong Kong about a 30-minute drive from the border with mainland China.
On Sunday, authorities discovered a young woman's skull believed to be Choi's in a cooking pot that was seized from the house. Officials believe that a hole on the right rear of the skull is where the fatal attack struck her.
The house was equipped with an electric saw and a meat grinder that had been used to mince human flesh, police superintendent Alan Chung said.
"Two pots of stew believed to contain human tissue" were left at the scene, he added.
Choi had financial disputes involving tens of millions of Hong Kong dollars with her ex-husband and his family, police said earlier, adding that "some people" were unhappy with how Choi handled her financial assets.
"We believe the victim and her ex-husband's family had many financial disputes involving huge sums," Chung said. "Someone was dissatisfied with how the victim handled her assets, which became a motive to kill."
Choi's friend Bernard Cheng said she had four children: two sons ages 10 and 3, and two daughters ages 8 and 6. Kwong, 28, fathered the elder two, and her current husband, Chris Tam, was the father of the younger children.
Tam said he was very thankful to have had Choi in his life and praised her for being supportive, friend Pao Jo-yee relayed in a Facebook post.
"When Abby was alive, she was a very kind person and always wanted to help people," he was quoted as saying in the post. "I feel anyone who had a chance to be her family or her friend are blessed."
Pao, who is married to Cheng, told The Associated Press that she has known Choi for over seven years.
"She was the type of person that wouldn't have enemies," she said.
Cheng said Choi had very good relationships with her family, and would travel with the families of her current and former husbands together. Choi's current father-in-law is one of the founders of a famous Hong Kong chain of Yunnan rice noodle shops, local newspaper The Standard reported.
The gruesome killing of Choi has gripped many in Hong Kong and across the border in mainland China, as the self-governed southern Chinese city is widely considered safe with a very low level of violent crime.
Her case is one of the most shocking killings Hong Kong has seen since 2013, when a man killed his parents and their heads were later found in refrigerators. In another famous 1999 case, a woman was kidnapped and tortured by three members from an organized crime group before her death. Her skull was later found stuffed in a Hello Kitty doll.
The hearing of the murder case was adjourned to May.
AFP contributed to this report.
- In:
- Hong Kong
- Murder
veryGood! (77743)
Related
- McConnell absent from Senate on Thursday as he recovers from fall in Capitol
- Queen Latifah, Billy Crystal and others celebrated at Kennedy Center Honors
- France’s parliament considers a ban on single-use e-cigarettes
- 'Tis the season for holiday cards. Tips on writing a heartfelt note, what else to know
- Mets have visions of grandeur, and a dynasty, with Juan Soto as major catalyst
- Steelers dealt big blow as Kenny Pickett suffers ankle injury that could require surgery
- Jim Harbaugh passes on encounter with Big Ten commissioner at trophy presentation
- In some Czech villages, St Nicholas leads a parade with the devil and grim reaper in tow
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Triathlon
- Queen Bey's 'Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé' reigns at the box office with $21M opening
Ranking
- New data highlights 'achievement gap' for students in the US
- Navy releases $1.5 million plan to remove crashed jet still stuck underwater on Hawaiian coral reef
- Israel orders mass evacuations as it widens offensive; Palestinians are running out of places to go
- Jim Harbaugh passes on encounter with Big Ten commissioner at trophy presentation
- Which apps offer encrypted messaging? How to switch and what to know after feds’ warning
- Israel's military publishes map of Gaza evacuation zones for Palestinians as airstrikes resume in war with Hamas
- Final goodbye: Recalling influential people who died in 2023
- Former career US diplomat charged with secretly spying for Cuban intelligence for decades
Recommendation
Could Bill Belichick, Robert Kraft reunite? Maybe in Pro Football Hall of Fame's 2026 class
Gore blasts COP28 climate chief and oil companies’ emissions pledges at UN summit
Queen Bey's 'Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé' reigns at the box office with $21M opening
Meg Ryan pokes fun at Billy Crystal, Missy Elliott praises Queen Latifah at Kennedy Center Honors
FACT FOCUS: Inspector general’s Jan. 6 report misrepresented as proof of FBI setup
2024 NFL draft first-round order: Bears fans left to root for Panthers' opponents
Mexican woman killed in shark attack on Pacific coast near the port of Manzanillo
Shooting at home in Washington state kills 5 including the suspected shooter, report says